San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-08-11
WHEN | WAS A STUDENT.


nowned French surgeon, proved himself a
man of action. We admired less his genius
for speculative research than the prodigiOus
faculty for applied science which character
lied his career. His surgical discoveries, al.
though numerous and important, do not
admit of his being compared even with such
( men as J. l.. Petit, Pott or Desault; but the
marvellous ease which he displayed in cases Of
the gravest concern, the expedients he had at
command in complications Of the most des-
| perate diseases, that admirable promputude
of eye, that infallibility of judgment and Of
hand placed him foremost among practition-
ers in science where practice is so init
mat.ly linked with theory.
Carrying out to the utmost his absolute
views Of a positive, Dupuyten, in matters
| connected with religion, obstinately inveighed
against what he termed Utopian speculations,
| whenever he found an occasion, however
| specious, 10 do so. By degrees his antipathy
that way degenerated into downright hatred.
His high position at the Court of the Restora-
ton could not fail, however, TO extort from
him some concessions to principles so irrevo-
cably espoused. Here is an example: At
mass celebrated in the private chapel Of the
palace of St Cloud one day, Dupuytren, at
| the moment of the elevation, let fall with
| great clatter his voluminous Book Of Hours
bound with massive golden clasps The
| DuchesSe d'Angouleme, who was present,
looked up and remarked:
There is NJ. Dupuytren losing his "Hours.
"But not his time" reioined the Due de
Maille, who knelt by the side of the duchess.
This religious assimilation, in which Du-
| puytren seemingly resigned himself with suiIi-
Gent good grace, only irritated him the more;
| it confirmed his strenuous hatred Of ideas
which were opposed to his own, and Of those
who advocated them.
HowNver this may be, Dupuytren was
hard worker; he was unremittingly occupied
| and few may boast of a life so busy as his
own. Summer and winter he was up at S
o'clock in the morning. At he was at the
Hotel Dieu hospital, which he left at IL.
After this he went his round of visits and re-
turned home to receive the sick in consulta-
ton. Although he dispatched these visits
with almost brutal celebrity, his clients were
daily so numerous that the consultations often
lasted far into the night.
One day, the consultations having extended
even beyond the usually late hour, Dupuy-
tren, worn out with fatigue, was about retir-
ing to rest when another visitor came to the
door of his room.
The person was an aged man, of exceed
ingly small stature, whose age it might have
been difficult TO determine His full, ruddy
face, whereon a razor had never been required
to perform its office, still beamed with a
plumpness and prettiness which, in his youth,
doubtless recalled that peculiar type of chubby
cherubim SO often seen in pictures of the In
maculate Conception of the Virgin Mary,
Under a close network of burrows was a tiny
mouth, delicately cut, and little Roman
nose neatly drawn; his hands and feet
matched the rest of his diminutive figure, for
they were worthy Of miniature. His blue
eyes, his features and manners wore an ex-
quiSite expression Of timidity, gentlenesS and
good will. On certain happily delineated
features the eye dwells with pleasure and his
was one Of these. You experienced an in
vincible attraction toward the little old man.
ans his serene countenance could not fail to
provoke endearment He was dressed Ell
tirely in black and held in his hand a bill
headed walking stick.
Bowling as he entered the room, n broad
tonSure revealed that he was a priest.
Dupuytren's eye fixed itself upon him,
sullen and frozen.
"What's your casep asked he, sternly.
doctor" softly began the priest, Il must
legs are getting rather weak. Two years
ago a swelling came in my neck The medi-
cal officer of the village near Nemours.
where l am settled, told me that the abscess
was Of no account and would soon be gone;
but it got worse, and five months later burst
of itself. l kept to my bed long while
without finding relief. The fact is that |
was obliged to get up now and then, as
hoUa In narfprf,o tpacCiCtaI ba al
duties Of four villages, and"-
"Show me your neck"
"'Tis not" continued the old man, as he
hurried to obey the doctors behest, "that
these good people are unwilling to meet
elsewhere to hear mass but, you see, they
have a hard time of it during the whole
week and only Gods day to rest upon; so
thought it unfair that the whole village
should be put to inconvenience on my ac-
count. Then, again, we have confirmation
and catechism. The bishop hesitated to send
q curate to help me. So, doctor, my parish
toner's all said that l must come up to Paris
and consult you. was long while before
l made up my mind; travelling costs a great
deal of money, and there are so many poor
people in my commune; but finally was
obliged to do their bidding, and so took the
conveyance. There is my sore, DOCTOR" added
he, rendering his neck.
Dupuytren was q long time in his examin-
alton of the affected part. The sick mans
neck had in it hole nearly one inch in
diameter and Of great depth. 1t was an
anthrax of the lower maxillary gland, COM
plicated with aneurism of the carotid artery
The wound showed symptoms of gangrene
in more than one spot and the case was alto
gether of so grave a description that Dupuy-
tren wondered how the sick man could be
standing upright before him.
He stretched wide open the lips of the sore
and scrutinized it inside with pressure pain
full enough to superinduce fainting. The
patient did not even vince. The examination
concluded, Dupuytren roughly jerked round
the old mans head, which he held in his
hands, and, peering at him full in the face,
burst out fendishly:
"Ahl ahl Mister Able, with a sore like
that-you must diev
At this the priest quietly took up his linen
and bandaged his neck, without uttering
word Dupuytren kept his eye on him, as
tiger might on a lamb. When the aged priest
ha dressed his wound he drew from his
pocket n large silver five franc piece, care
fully wrapped up in a bit of paper, and laid
it on the mantelshelf.
II am not rich, and my poor are very poor,
doctor" said he, with an neffable smile; Eek
cuse ne if cannot more adequately repay
consultation of DIR. Dupuytren. / am glad
came to see you; at least, shall be prepared
for what awaits me. Perhaps" he added, in
an extremely soft tone of voice, "you might
have announced this great fact with little
mara cautiOn I am II vaarS old and at that